BMW 5-Series Touring (2017 - 2024) 540i MHT xDrive SE Auto 5d Owner Review

G31 540i Xdrive SE touring: this is the best car I have owned by a very long way and I cannot imagine having a more satisfying road car for our needs. My previous cars have included a BMW F20 125i M Sport, BMW 320d Sport touring, two Subarus, two Fords and an Audi A3. The best parts about the 540i touring are the 3 litre 6-cylinder B58 engine, ZF 8-speed sport auto gearbox, B&W audio, comfort seats, BMW handling (the driver sits at the central of gravity when cornering), and driving assistant professional (DAP). I do around 15,000 miles a year. The car was incredibly good driving to the Alps and we went as far as Tronchetto and works very well on city commutes. It excels on the Autobahn and I don't regret having DAP for long motorway segments and traffic jams on UK motorways. I now use Sport Individual > steering in comfort > engine in comfort > and transmission in sport. I am very happy with the SE, which is not dissimilar to the Luxury Line available on the continent. The LCI version looks sporty while I like the extra centimetre of ride height and suspension travel and discreet looks. The 18 inch SE wheels look very nice and have a good amount of rubber to help deal with any unavoidable pot holes. I would have preferred the M Sport steering wheel though but my sport wheel still has paddle shifters. I went with non-run flats and the non-adaptive set-up is smooth and quiet. A minor issue with a failed DRL was fixed under warranty; the car has the base full-LED headlights and has auto-high beam which was on the configurator at no charge at the time. I want to keep it long term and will get the insured warranty. The first 23,000 miles have been excellent. I carefully ran the B58 in over its first 1,300 miles and gradually increased acceleration after that according to https://www.bmw.com/en/automotive-life/break-in-a-new-car.html. I have serviced the car early. So far, there has been no apparent oil consumption according to the electronic dipstick. My BMW service centre uses Shell 0W-30. I needed to add small top-ups of BMW green coolant diluted with distilled water twice over the first 15,000 miles. Mild weaknesses include the relative lack of rear-wheel drive feel with Xdrive but this is offset with a planted feel on wet tarmac and the undoubted expensive parts replacements that will be needed at higher mileages. It is a huge shame that the G61 is not currently available in the 540i mild hybrid configuration in the UK that my G31 has, instead having useful parts removed, such as the rear window hatch which is excellently engineered on the G31, and replaced with an extremely heavy plug-in battery. Hopefully future emissions rules might bar the often false emissions measurements of plug-in hybrids and facilitate the return of the 540i MHEV to BMW's options list in the UK.